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Saturday, November 26, 2011

just say no

I haven't been to Thanksgiving at my mom's house in a couple years. We've been out of town and at other sides of the family but finally got back around to my mom's this year. However, it was apparently everyone else's turn this year to be elsewhere and so the gathering was fairly small. One table, 9 people and not a lot of room for the dishes.

Because of the limited space on the table, the rolls were allocated to a staging table back in the corner that was holding the coffee maker and wine. My mother had not yet sat down and realized everyone else had sat without picking up a roll first. So her solution, and really anyone's solution I would imagine, was to throw rolls to those who wanted one.

My uncle was up first and she threw a line drive down the table so hard I still don't know how he caught it. My husband was thrown the next one which he had no problem catching....he plays softball. I was asked next and I promptly said no. My one handed disadvantage makes me a very hot and cold catcher.

My cousin was up last and at this point there was a terrible miscommunication. My cousin can not catch but for some reason my mother thought she had been cleared to throw her one. So as the roll headed toward my cousin, she figured her safest option was to block it. However, she is apparently just as bad at blocking as she is at catching and so the roll hit her hands, then hit her in the eye, bounced onto the table and rolled onto the floor. It somehow grazed my uncle's wine glass and while I saw it topple I simply could not grab it before red wine spilled onto my cousin's plate, the tablecloth and her shirt.

So the moral of the story? When asked by my mother if you want a roll...just say no.